New Year, New Resolve

Rev. Eugene Bush, Santa cruz Zen Center

I have a new sense about our daily rituals and their connection to our ancestors. When we regularly acknowledge Katherine during morning service, I speak to her directly; some people have commented to me – almost scolding – ‘you know she can’t hear you, right?’ – as if I have just engaged in some superstitious act. But for me, this moment of direct contact is an essential acknowledgement of Ancestors, the turning of time, the importance of ritual.

We are connected in subtle ways to the Ancestors who have carried this practice forward over time. In zendo service, this connection shows up for me in how we move our bodies: we move in sync, our voices in rhythm, sometimes in harmony – this is what it feels like to be connected to each other and to our lineage. These moments are the ongoing conversation with the Ancestors past and future. We are also connected to the earth, to the seasons as they turn, to individual and collective heritage. We are connected to the ancestors and to each other THROUGH our rituals, and THROUGH our resolve.

As the Buddha demonstrated in what we now call Rohatsu, returning to a new year of practice we resolve to be seated until liberated from the constraints of the habitual. This could be personal habits or the constructs society, culture, language, or family gave us. Resolve is one of those tricky words, having implications of achievement, or a desired outcome, a resolution to a problem. I am talking about resolve as an inner stability, to stay with an activity fully. This is known as continuous practice. This is the experience of bringing attention to every moment This is the experience of not turning away.

The task is to stay grounded, stay true to yourself, stay true like a wheel is true when it is balanced, and meet each moment fully. We are engaged in not turning away from the habitual, and resolving to recognize the present moment fully, as Katherine said, “beyond the irritation of our consciousness”.

The unity of heart-mind arises naturally in the experience of the body and mind studying-realizing the way. ‘Continuously’ doesn’t mean only practicing in the zendo. Dogen teaches about continuous practice. Be Buddha continuously, all the days and nights of the year. Awaken continuously, and allow continuous awakening to be the natural thread of your life.